DeChellis replaces Billy Lange, who left Navy to become the associate head coach at Villanova.

"It's been a very, very dificult weekend for me and my family. If I break down, there's good reason for that," DeChellis said during a 20-minute news conference at the Jordan Center. "Penn State is a special place for me and my family, but I found another special place in the U.S. Naval Academy."

He goes from a power conference school to a program that plays in the brainy Patriot League. DeChellis took the job on Sunday.

"It was very, very difficult. At Mass yesterday, father talked about a path. Sometimes a path is presented to you that you have to be able to walk down," he said before stopping to compose himself before nearly tearing up.